Lake Como
Should you need ‘una pausa’ while you’re waiting for your Varenna ferry, enter this nouveau-rustic bistro-cafe and peruse the cake case ...
Must-see restaurants in Italy
Milan
This is the place fancy Milanesi go to buy nonna her favourite sweets, such as marron glacés, Boeri (chocolate-covered cherries) and chocolate pralines…
Milan
This first-class gourmet Chinese restaurant showcases the very best Lombard ingredients in a refined Chinese menu. The restaurant is super sleek with chef…
Milan
Opened by celebrated German chef Ernst Knam, this is one of the most famous pastry shops in the city. Known for its unusual flavour pairings and chocolate…
San Polo & Santa Croce
Step out of your water taxi into the canalside garden of this inventive Michelin-starred restaurant in the Hotel Palazzo Venart. The contemporary menu…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
Three generations of the Iacozzilli family work in this old-school deli that dates from 1924. It's hailed for its porchetta: seasoned with salt and…
Milan
Having opened a few years ago with little fanfare, Gelateria Giova is now suddenly on the list of some of the best gelaterie in the city. Named for the…
Naples
Day in, day out, this cult-status pizzeria is besieged by hungry hordes. While debate may rage over whether Gino Sorbillo's pizzas are the best in town,…
Venice
Indulge in some culinary time travel in the red-and-gilt dining room at this fine-dining bistro reviving the recipes of Renaissance chef Bartolomeo Scappi…
Milan
This gelateria is a temple to Lombardy's luxurious milk products: everything here is 100% natural, handmade and locally sourced. What's more, owner…
Milan
This old-school gelateria has been in the business of ice cream since 1930. Opened by his uncle Ugo, Francesco now maintains the shop's reputation with a…
Milan
This former florist’s shop is great for a light French-influenced lunch, or an excellent aperitivo (pre-dinner drink) among the flowers. Dinners are fresh…
Milan
This sunny Tuscan restaurant with its custard-coloured walls and Reseda green panelling serves up an elegant, unpretentious menu featuring largely fish…
Modena
Dare we call this Emilia-Romagna's best gelateria? Yes, we dare. Owner Gianluca Degani is fiercely devoted to chemical- and additive-free gelato and…
Bologna
Hip Oltre (Beyond) bucks tradition with its trendy Instagrammable dining space, an absolute detour from Bologna down to nearly every detail. Chalk up the…
Modena
If you know anything about passatelli, Emila-Romagna's stringy pasta made from parmigiano reggiano, breadcrumbs and eggs, you know it's not often found…
Modena
Encased in an old car showroom in Modena’s suburbs, this sister restaurant to Massimo Bottura's fabled Osteria Francescana offers creative, mostly…
Naples
In Italian, mattonella means tile, an apt name for this classic Neapolitan osteria, its walls clad in 18th-century majolica tiles. Matriarch Antonietta…
Northwestern Tuscany
Perched on a hillock above chestnut and walnut forests, this is an iconic address every local foodie knows about. Hidden at the back of the village bar,…
Western Sicily
Over the past few decades, chef-owner Pietro Sardo has established a reputation as one of Sicily's top chefs. At this fine-dining seafood restaurant, just…
Naples
Naples' remarkably light pizza fritta – deep-fried pizza dough traditionally stuffed with pork cicoli (dried lard cubes), salami, provola, ricotta and…
Naples
It's not atmosphere that draws fans to humble ’O Sfizio, a bargain-priced takeaway by a traffic-ridden thoroughfare. It's the parmigiana di melanzana that…
Naples
If you eat only one sweet treat in Naples (good luck with that!), make it Mennella's spectacular frolla al limone, a shortbread pastry filled with…
Oltrarno
Persuade everyone at your table to order the tasting menu to avoid the torture of picking just one dish – everything on the menu at this fabulously…
Naples
Run by brothers Francesco, Gennaro and Luigi, this local Chiaia fishmonger transforms daily into a wonderfully intimate, sociable seafood eatery. Perch…
Florence
'Bringing the countryside to the city' is the driver behind this cherry-red artisan food truck whose name translates as 'breeding shed'. Parked riverside,…
Bellagio
Clocking up 100 years of service in 2019, all of them under the same family tutelage, Silvio continues to serve simple lake-to-table food at reasonable…
Naples
With a street-level bar and basement dining room, hip, minimalist Donna Romita serves gorgeous, locavore fare with competent modern tweaks. The emphasis…
Naples
It might be a little overpriced, but few Neapolitan restaurants match the sophisticated ambience of this softly lit fine-diner, its booths peopled by well…
Pisa
When an osteria cooks up a tripe platter for antipasto, bone marrow with saffron-spiced rice as primo and feisty T-bone steaks as secondo, you know you’ve…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
Many locals come here for their daily dose of rich and creamy butter, albeit it in the guise of authentic croissants, pains au chocolat and other…
Ravello
Located just before the bus stop, Da Salvatore doesn't merely rest on the laurels of its spectacular terrace views. This is one of the coast's best…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
The coffee bar at this bright and airy cafe buzzes all day. Grab a table amid the industrial chic and tuck into one of the €6 lunch specials. It's all…
Southern Rome
Try not to drool on the cases full of luscious pastry and gelato displays crafted at this pasticceria (pastry shop), which was established in 1931. Treats…
Alberobello
Vegetables take pride of place in Italian kitchens, especially at this enthusiastic vegetarian-ish (some meat is served) restaurant. The farm-to-table…
Bergamo
With its wedges of focaccia-style pizza displayed like colourful art in the front window, it’s no wonder this bakery-cafe is perennially crowded. This is…
Naples
Contemporary, attentive La Frescheria serves smashing seafood at its street-level crudo bar and softly lit, basement dining room. The day's catch – much…
Trastevere & Gianicolo
One of Rome's classic trattorias, Da Teo buzzes with locals tucking into steaming platefuls of Roman standards as well as seasonal specials built around…
Syracuse
After running a restaurant in Greece for 18 years, Syracuse local Fabio and his Greek partner Kiri are pleasing palates at their hotspot Ortygia…
Monterosso
One of the liveliest restaurants in town, Eraldo's is a family-style spot where you dine amid arched brick ceilings and red-and-white tablecloths, with…
